Sora had just read the notifications explaining the rules when he felt the gazes of several people on him, realizing he was the last one to join.
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed players organized in small groups of three to ten, clearly prepared for combat. He recognized a few faces—players whose familiars had been defeated by Netsu on the fourth floor—but saw no one he knew personally.
Kara, Rachel, Kim, Emily, and his other guildmates were nowhere to be seen.
As he continued scanning the crowd, his eyes finally landed on a familiar face—Klunor, the dark elf general.
"Why is this guy everywhere I go?" Sora thought, a bit annoyed. He didn’t dislike Klunor, but it was starting to feel like they were somehow fated to cross paths repeatedly.
Klunor was deep in conversation with a few other players, their wary eyes scanning the surrounding groups. Noticing Sora’s arrival, Klunor stepped forward, offering him a greeting.
"Hello, Ralph. I can’t decide if bumping into you again is luck or trouble at this point," Klunor said with a stiff smile, glancing around at the crowd. "Have you noticed the atmosphere here?" He nodded subtly toward the elite groups of high-level players.
"See how the top players have formed their own circles?" Klunor pointed out.
Sora looked around and noticed that high-level players had indeed grouped up with others of their race, often including one or two lower-level players from their own faction.
"They’re planning to let the lower-level players be eliminated first?," Sora said, quickly grasping the situation.
Klunor nodded. "Exactly. They’re setting us up to fall early, avoiding unnecessary battles themselves. Lower-level players might still rank high based on their performances on earlier floors. By taking us out here, they remove the competition and make this trial easier for themselves."
Sora sneered. ’What a bunch of cowards’, he thought.
Klunor caught his expression and added, "This so-called ’team-based’ trial isn’t fooling anyone. Every player here is out for themselves."
He paused, meeting Sora’s gaze. "That’s why we’ve grouped up." He gestured to the three players nearby, all between levels 135 and 140. "Would you consider joining us?"
Sora glanced over at Klunor’s group. Teaming up might improve his odds, but he preferred relying on himself rather than risking working with strangers—or players from an opposing faction.
"Thanks, but I’ll stick to playing solo," he replied, shaking his head. "Good luck."
Klunor looked disappointed but nodded in understanding. "Alright... I understand. Just be careful out there. If things get rough, remember that our offer still stands."
After watching Klunor return to his group, Sora summoned his now-infamous phoenix, ignoring the flinches from some of the other players’ familiars, and steadied himself for the trial.
Just then, a new notification appeared in front of everyone.
[The trial has started]
Next to the radar, he could also see a list of names appearing, showing battle history in the island.
[Clémence Berger (Chicken) has defeated Klunor (Viper)]...[Eloj (Viper) has defeated Bofin (Chicken)]
Eliminated Players TotalFox: 0Chicken: 0Viper: 0
’Wow, Klunor managed to get killed in the first five minutes... And this Eloj player eliminated someone from a stronger group.’ Noticing the surprising notifications, Sora was almost tempted to read through them all.
Trying to ignore the battle history, he accelerated, but every player he encountered was already locked in battle. Not wanting to involve himself in ongoing fights, he continued searching for Fox players. Refusing to give up, he headed toward the shore, focusing on the island’s extremities.
He soon found a party of Fox players composed of four individuals who had also noticed his appearance on the map.
Three of them were Dwarf players and the fourth seemed to be of the Spirit Race.
[Irene - Level 143]
[Thorek - Level 137]
[Bofin - Level 142]
[Duraz - Level 141]
One of the Dwarves looked visibly shocked. The human who had entered their range didn’t seem the least bit worried, even after seeing their levels and numbers. It was clear he intended to fight.
"We get that the buff gives you a boost," one of them said, narrowing his eyes at Sora. "But do you really think it is enough to make up for the gap between us? You’re only level 133. Even with that phoenix of yours at 155, you’re still outmatched." His gaze flicked around as he checked his panel. "Or are you just stalling, waiting for reinforcements to show up?"
Feeling his buff taking effect every time he encountered a Fox, Sora knew that the buff [Venomous] was indeed incredibly powerful, and was pleased to see that it applied to Netsu as well.
Understanding the risk of interference from others mid-fight, Sora activated [Earth Dome] to prevent such a situation.
This dome, however, looked vastly different from the version he’d used before. The Earth element particles were now densely packed, arranged in a way that made the barrier significantly sturdier.
During his training in the [Time Space] near the city of Nara, Sora had focused on perfecting a dozen skills, pushing them to their limits, and [Earth Dome] was one he had focused on.
’These players rank in the top 841 among the elites who joined the trial... I can’t let my guard down,’ Sora thought, channeling his full strength.
Summoning his hammer, he activated [Lava in My Veins], not planning on holding back.
The air around him changed as intense heat and pressure began to radiate from his body, making it clear to his opponents that he wasn’t here to make friends. His skin turned black, smoke leaked from his body, and his hair stood on end as he stared at them like a beast eyeing its prey.